Eight Blue Jays On Baseball America's New Top 100 Prospects List
The Blue Jays are set for the present and future.
Eight Toronto prospects cracked Baseball America's newest Top 100 Prospect list, released Monday. The Blue Jays have three pitching prospects and five hitters on the list, with infielder Orelvis Martinez the latest edition to the top 100.
Vanderbilt product Austin Martin is Toronto's highest-ranked prospect, and several future Blue Jays rose and fell in the June edition of BA's rankings. Catcher Gabriel Moreno wasn't even in the top 100 a month ago, and is now the 36th best prospect in baseball, while Nate Pearson fell to 38th after sitting in the low teens for the last year.
The full list of Toronto's Top 100 Baseball America prospects is as follows:
14. SS/CF Austin Martin
Statline: 25 AA Games - .267/.396/.411 - 2 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB
In his first season of professional baseball, Martin has started to hit his stride in recent weeks. In the last seven days, Martin posted a 1.039 OPS with two homers, six hits, and more walks than strikeouts. Of his 25 games played, 13 have come at shortstop and 12 in centerfield.
36. C Gabriel Moreno
Statline: 20 AA Games - .367/.429/.608 - 4 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB
Moreno has been one of the best producers in Toronto's farm system this season, and his rise up the prospect rankings has been well earned. His 2021 success comes after a strong Venezuelan Winter League showing where the catcher hit .373 in 18 games and walked almost twice as much as he struck out.
37. SP Alek Manoah
Statline: 2 MLB GS - 3.86 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, 11.6 K/9
Manoah is in the majors and he will soon be graduated off this list, but this is his first appearance as Toronto's highest ranked pitching prospect. Manoah has had a brilliant start and a forgettable showing through two career MLB games, and he'll have a chance to face one of the best team's in the AL Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox.
38. SP Nate Pearson
Statline: 3 AAA GS - 7.24 ERA, 1.390 WHIP, 17.8 K/9
Pearson is the first big faller for Toronto on Baseball America's updated list. He was one of the top pitching prospects in the league, and BA's 16th overall prospect, on the mid-May list.
Pearson has suffered from injury and control issues in 2021, but continues to flash the gaudy strikeout numbers that thrust him up these rankings to begin with. The righty has been working on several major delivery adjustments that may take some time to work out in Triple-A before he returns to the majors.
52. SP Simeon Woods Richardson
Statline: 4 AA GS - 3.32 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 14.7 K/9
Woods Richardson was a member of the United States' Olympic qualifying roster. He appeared in just one game, a rain-canceled start against Puerto Rico. Though the stats did not formally count, Woods Richardson pitched four innings, allowed four hits and one run, and struck out five without a walk.
56. SS/3B Jordan Groshans
Statline: 18 AA Games -.239/.316/.366 - 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
62. C Alejandro Kirk
Statline: 17 MLB Games -.225/.326/.475 - 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
82. SS Orelvis Martinez
Statline: 27 A Games -.259/.331/.420 - 3 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon